<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Rituals by FrogPrincessZelda (MyAnxietyThinksImCool)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30104034">Rituals</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyAnxietyThinksImCool/pseuds/FrogPrincessZelda'>FrogPrincessZelda (MyAnxietyThinksImCool)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Pre-Calamity Ganon, Pre-Canon, Zelda kind of warming up to link maybe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:27:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30104034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyAnxietyThinksImCool/pseuds/FrogPrincessZelda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelda had once imagined that he despised her and her failures as much as the rest of the kingdom had. But every he had escorted her to the springs, she noticed how intently he watched her getting out of the water, and she could have sworn that she saw sympathy in his eyes.</p>
<p>A quick glimpse into the quiet moments between Link and Zelda at the very beginning of their journey.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rituals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first ever fanfic so plz be kind ;.;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They sat by the fire in silence like they normally did after Zelda's visit to the spring. Link never talked much, and it was times like these when Zelda appreciated his silence.</p>
<p>At this point, getting out of the spring had become a ritual not unlike her prayers to the goddess at the spring. She would step out of the water to meet Link waiting for her at the entrance, he would hand her a cloth to dry herself with and her change of clothes, he would turn around to give her privacy while she changed and then he would lead her to the fire and tents he had prepared for the evening.</p>
<p>Without fail, every time she left the spring, she would turn around and find him watching her, his face unreadable as always, and suddenly she would be hyper aware of his presence. And without fail, she would leave the spring empty handed, no closer to unlocking her power then when she had first entered and every time, he was there, watching her failure.</p>
<p>He was sitting across from her now, his face only partially lit by the flames. The boy chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. The boy who had pulled out that sword at the tender age of twelve. He had been everything and that was expected of him and she had been nothing.</p>
<p>What must he have thought to be sitting across from her now?</p>
<p>Zelda had once imagined that he despised her and her failures as much as the rest of the kingdom had. But every he had escorted her to the springs, she noticed how intently he watched her getting out of the water, and she could have sworn that she saw sympathy in his eyes.</p>
<p>But perhaps it was her own imagination, perhaps she was so desperate for someone to understand, for someone to look at how hard she was trying and meet her with sympathy instead of the frustration her father and the rest of the court constantly aimed at her.</p>
<p>But Link, like everyone else in her life, was here because it was his duty to be here, not out of any regard for her, she had to remind herself that he was her sworn knight not her friend.</p>
<p>Feeling sufficiently dry, she wordlessly turned towards her tent.</p>
<p>"They'll come to you eventually"</p>
<p>She paused and turned back around.</p>
<p>"What?" she asked.</p>
<p>Link jolted to his feet to meet her gaze, "Your powers, they'll come to you eventually, I suppose Hylia doesn't think you need them now but…we have time, time to prepare I mean, just…don't give up yet, Princess."</p>
<p>Anger bubbled up inside her, "I don't expect you to understand…it was so easy for you" she looked at him and couldn't help but feel frustrated, "Not everyone's power can just appear out of nowhere one day, some of us have to spend years working to just start making things happen".</p>
<p>Link flushed and for a minute he almost looked embarrassed, and Zelda felt guilty like she always did after she lashed out at him like this. Her outbursts had become like another ritual, Link would try to say something nice when Zelda was upset and that would upset her even more, she would lash out, Link would go silent again and Zelda would end up feeling bad.</p>
<p>It seemed like every visit to the spring was destined to end like this.</p>
<p>"I just wanted to tell that I see you doing everything you can, don't let anyone tell you that you aren't working hard." His voice was quieter now, "I believe that you'll unlock your powers one day."</p>
<p>Silence filled the air again.</p>
<p>Zelda was tired of it all. Tired of the rituals, tired of the failure, tired of the anger towards herself, towards Hylia, towards Link.</p>
<p>And here Link was giving her a respite, he was giving her the thing she had been yearning for since she had begun her prayers to the goddess, he was giving her the break no one else in the kingdom would give.</p>
<p>And now, looking at him from across the fire, she saw that he genuinely believed what he had said. He believed in her, He saw her trying and trying, he saw all her frustrations and he believed that she could overcome it all. At that moment her believed in her more than she believed in herself.</p>
<p>She looked down at her feet.</p>
<p>“Thank you Link”.</p>
<p>And then she retired for the night, there would be more rituals, more prayers and more springs until she unlocked her powers.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>